


Predictably Unpredictable: Unhappy Reunion, Continued

by ladypeter



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Politics, Romance, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-07 11:01:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3172116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladypeter/pseuds/ladypeter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Relations have improved since their fight in Unhappy Reunion, but Han and Leia still have a little more making up to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Ship's night on the Falcon, in a hangar on Home One. Three or four scant hours after the end of "Unhappy Reunion."_

Leia woke confused. Why hadn't she heard the 0300 watch signal? It didn't sound in her quarters, but she heard it out in the passageway every night. Now it seemed she was conditioned to wake for it, even if she didn't hear it. She looked for her bedside chrono, but it was in the wrong place, and red instead of blue. Then she felt the arm around her, and the slumbering body at her back, and it all came back. Of course she couldn't hear the ship's bell: it couldn't penetrate the Falcon's hull. And then it stole over her: that feeling of home safe: the one that says "everything's going to be fine now."

She sighed and smiled, resting her hand on Han's arm for a moment before squirming out from under it and padding to the 'fresher. She glanced at the shower and felt an echo of the slow burn that had begun there earlier that night. She grinned, feeling a silly urge to salute it. The Falcon was as good at saving Leia's love life as she was at saving her hide.

When she got back to the bunk, Han had shifted onto his back, and she saw in the dim light that his eyes were open. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I don't mind. You're a sight for sore eyes."

She climbed back into the bunk and cradled Han's head to her breast.

"Are you still planning on going dirt side in the morning?" Han asked.

"Yeah," she replied sleepily. "There's this environmental testing some of the Council members want to do on the new refugee shelters. It's getting too far into the weeds, in my opinion."

"Well, you sure don't want to invest in something that's going to fall over in a light wind."

"I guess you're right, but I'm not sure we're the ones to be doing it. Why do you ask, though?"

"I heard they're predicting bad weather down there. Heavy rain, wind, electrical storms."

"Do they think there'll be any problems for the shuttles?"

"Doesn't seem like it. If they have to, they'll sub out some heavier transports until it blows over. You should be OK getting down to the surface."

"Oh, good," she said, feeling a childish spark of anticipation.

"Perfect conditions for your testing, I guess."

"Yes, but that's not what I meant. I like thunderstorms. I haven't seen a good one in ages."

"What's there to like: Getting soaked to the skin? Risking electrocution?" These were clearly the words of a man who'd spent the balance of his days aboard spacecraft: he'd never admit it, but Han suffered from a touch of agoraphobia.

"That's if you're outside. But if you're safe inside, all cozy and warm, it can be kind of-"

"Kind of what?"

"Romantic. It can be romantic." Oh, no. This was just the kind of trap she always fell into with him. Now she was in for teasing.

"Really. And have you ever experienced this...romance on a first-hand basis?"

"Not the way you mean. But it's inherently romantic: something that shakes the world up like that, drenches it and lights it up and makes it new. On Imperial Center, my apartment faced West, so I could watch storms sweep in over the Senate complex. I loved it. You should come down to the surface with me and we can watch together."

"That is starting to sound romantic, but I think I need to be on call here. I'm meeting with brass tomorrow to get new orders. I have no idea what they're going to tell me...I hate not knowing what they're going to do with me, you know?"

"I'm sorry, love. I'll try to comm' you in the evening to find out what you heard. Now let's get some sleep: I told Threepio to bring my things over at 0630 and then I need to catch the earliest shuttle."

**End Chapter One**

_Thanks as ever to AnnaFan and FettsOnTop for beta-ing!_

 


	2. Chapter 2

An impatient Han Solo made his way from Military Command on Home One to the Officers' Mess. It was a route that took him through the most trafficked corridors of the ship, and he probably passed acquaintances along the way, but he didn't notice any of them. He was busy turning a problem over in his head.

He thought back to Leia's departure for the Endor shuttle that morning: it was affectionate, hasty, and distracted. Their fight was made up; they were friends again, and lovers, but they hadn't broken through the last barriers. Han felt that--even when he'd laid between Leia's thighs, stroking her with lips and tongue--that had been the beginning of the story, not the end. The good news, he thought with a grin, was that the best way he knew for them to break down barriers was to screw until neither of them could walk straight any more. But how were they supposed to do that while she was on Endor and he was stuck up here?

Ackbar had just requested that he stay close to Fleet Command, but even though he'd promised to be a good little soldier, Han found himself stalking through the flagship thinking of excuses to get himself down to the moon's surface. There was nothing like being locked in a room with three members of high command to make a guy want to cut and run. His meeting to receive orders had turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour marathon of bullshitting. First, he'd been told that there wasn't an assignment available at the moment that fit his "unique talents." That had stung a fair bit, but Han was determined to play this like the career military man he now was and not like the "independent trader" he'd once been, so he stayed quiet. Then Crix Madine had to pipe up when Han said that, as long as he was grounded, he wanted standing permission to accompany her Highness on any missions she undertook in the meantime. Madine apparently thought it was "not appropriate for a full general to follow his woman around like a lovesick teenager." That had Han ready to take things outside, but in a supreme effort of will he managed to not get out of his chair (largely by reminding himself how his "woman" would react when she heard about it). Thankfully Akbar had been almost as taken aback by Madine's venom as Solo was, and he'd addressed it directly, saving Han the trouble of coming up with a civil response.

Even though the Endor mission had ended in victory, and everyone had come out of it smelling like roses, Han guessed Madine still thought there was something Han could have done to prevent the Imperials from learning of their mission and getting the drop on them. Either that or the guy had a thing for Leia, which Han was actively trying not to think about. It would be a lot harder to get along with someone who was secretly after her than someone who merely thought he was reckless and incompetent. After that little dust up the meeting had progressed just fine, as Ackbar took Han through every - single - posting that had been given in the past few weeks, complete with extensive descriptions of the missions, and explanations of why Han himself was not appropriate for any of them (that word again!). In the end, it was just as Ackbar had told him in the first five minutes of the meeting: there was nothing for him right now, and he had to sit tight.

In the end, that was the most annoying thing about this morning's meeting: even though he'd received no orders (so much talk just to hear nothing!), he'd been asked to stay aboard Home One, close to Naval HQ. With Leia planetside, it might be awhile before they got the chance to spend more time together and shore up their foundations. It wasn't that he felt insecure, Han reassured himself, just that he was still craving one of those endless nights with her, filled with idle talk and mind-blowing sex.

There was a word his old spacer pals used for guys in a state like this: pussy blind. It was supposed to be a bad thing, to be so in the thrall of a woman that you couldn't see straight, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to feel that it was a problem. So his current priority in life was getting between his girl's legs. Did that make him pussy blind? Very probably. And the the whole galaxy could go fuck itself if it didn't like it. That was just a little hard to explain to the High Command, even for someone as brazen as Han.

For now he was simply hoping to grab something to eat, and maybe find a friendly ear to listen to him blow off steam. When he arrived at the officers' mess, though, he didn't see any friends. His eyes did light on Doman Berus, the Corellian member of the Provisional Council who'd given Leia a hard time the other day. Well, maybe he couldn't shoot the shit with a friend, but he could still blow off a little steam.

He put on his best saunter, made his way across the dining room, and slumped into a chair. "Doman Berus. What's new with you? You know, I hear you have quite the interest in my love life these days. I hope you're not getting jealous."

"Forget about that, Solo. You're not nearly dumb enough for my taste, though you seem to be working on that problem."

"Honestly, though, I thought you were one of the few beings on the Council aside from Leia who doesn't think she's making a huge mistake with me."

"I don't."

Han tripped on the retort that was already on his lips. "Oh. Well, good."

"But I think you might be."

"What?"

"Look, everyone seems to think that Leia is doing you a huge favor by letting herself be seen with you."

Han rested an elbow on the table and leaned forward. "She's doing a whole lot more than that, believe me." If there was one thing he knew, it was how to handle fellow Corellians in an argument.

"Oh, I have no trouble imagining that. You two are obviously quite infatuated with each other."

"That's not the word I'd use, there."

"What would you say, that you're in love?" So she was still going for cool dismissal. Maybe it was time to cut the bluster.

"Yes."

Berus sat back and took a swig of her drink as if it were the strongest Corellian ale. "By all the gods, Solo, just don't go off half cocked and do something you'll regret later."

"Like what?"

"I'm sure some people want you to make it official, button everything up tight and get bonded in a huge ceremony, but honestly, I think that's a mistake. I don't think you, or any Corellian, is suited to being someone's consort. You may think you've hit the jackpot with this girl, but I encourage you to do some serious thinking before you commit. You think you've seen it all, but you're younger than you realize. Things are changing fast, and you're going to be getting a lot more intriguing offers than marriage into a noble house."

This had to be one of the strangest conversations Han Solo had ever had. It was an unusual enough experience for an older person to try and offer him kindly wisdom, but that it came from a member of the Provisional Council made it all the stranger. That it seemed to be encouraging him about his bright prospects in the galaxy made it downright hallucinatory. He hadn't heard anything like this since his graduation from Carida. Or maybe since he was one of Jabba's new favorites. Either way, it made him deeply suspicious.

"Berus, I don't know where you think you get off, but I don't need a mother. Is this why you were badgering Leia? Out of concern for me? I'm flattered, but it doesn't add up. What's your angle? Straight truth."

"Okay, Straight truth. Honestly, Han, I don't have a real agenda here. But I look at you and I see someone about to step into the galactic spotlight, someone who has an opportunity to remake himself into anything he wants. I think you could do great things for the Corellian system, but instead you're completely entangled with an Alderaanian Princess. And everyone is worried that you're not good enough for her. Well, maybe maybe they should be wondering if she's good enough for you." Now you could have knocked Han over with a feather. For a split second he wondered if he was being secretly filmed.

Enough playing around, he decided. "Berus, imagine something for me. What if it's more than just infatuation? What if Leia really just loves me? And what if I love her? Leia and I are partners now, and we're not worried anymore about who deserves who less. As far as we're concerned, we're both lucky beyond anything to have each other. If you're waiting to see us crash and burn, don't hold your breath, because we're going to make this work."

"Okay, Solo, okay. I get it: you love the girl and you're not going anywhere. I hope you'll let me be your friend, though. I think I can help you."

"And I suppose you think I can help you?"

"I wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility."

Of course. The closest Han could come to imagining a motivation here was the possibility in Berus' mind that Han's new notoriety could serve her or hurt her, and she was trying to make sure she'd come out on the right side of things.

The Corellian woman stood and straightened her jacket. "Well, whatever you do, Solo, I'm sure it will be unpredictable as usual."

"But then that would actually make it predictable, right?"

"Cute, Solo. I'll be seeing you"

Berus had been gone for no more than a moment or two when Wedge Antilles swept over and into the seat she'd been in. "What in all the Seven Hells was that?" he asked with a look of scandalized anticipation.

"Oh, who knows. Either 'ol Berus is trying to get me in her pocket, or she's trying to get in my pants. I'm still not sure yet."

"In your pants? I sincerely doubt that," an amused Wedge replied. "She's got to be 15 or 20 years older than you. And forget that-does she have any idea what Leia would do to her if she tried anything?"

Solo gave a confident laugh. "Just as long as it's Berus who gets it and not me. I'm still working my way fully back into HRH's good graces. I'm most of the way there, but there's a little more legwork to be done."

"Yeah, you two seemed a little chilly at the reception last night. But if things are so much better already I'm impressed. So quickly, and with so little bloodshed!"

"Yeah, well, actually being in a relationship has its benefits. But now she's down on the surface, and I'm stuck up here, without even an assignment to waste my time on." Wedge looked up from his food, with the spark of an idea in his eyes.

"Well, I'm heading down there now to do some ground training with the Wraiths. I was just going to try and requisition a transport, but maybe you can bring us down on the Falcon and be, let’s see...a consulting trainer?"

"Wedge, you brilliant bastard. I will ferry you and your boys down, and I will slog through the mud with you as much as you want, just as long as I'm back at base by nightfall."


	3. Chapter 3

Leia rode the shuttle down to the surface that morning with two pilots fresh off picket duty who were headed there for R&R. They acted like kids on a school holiday, so excited to have free time with their friends. While they tried not to goof off in front of her, Leia stared out the porthole and daydreamed. She thought of last night, of Han's body sleek with water, the texture of his skin, the tickle of his hair. She remembered the feel of him in her hand, so hard and smooth. Her chest tightened with the desire to be near him. Last night had been wonderful, something she'd somehow forgotten she needed, but it didn't feel like enough. She wanted more of him, she wanted him to fill every sense and make her drunk with the feel of him, the smell of him.

Damn this silly exercise today. Did she really need to observe testing on these shelters? The Provisional Council needed to rethink how responsibilities were delegated, and in the meantime, she needed to make sure she and Han got more time together, and soon. Frequent separation was something they just had to deal with, but Leia needed enough time in between to tide her over when one or the other of them was off fighting fires around the Galaxy. Last night hadn't been enough, and Leia felt a nagging fear that Han would get a new assignment right away and have to ship out within days. She knew she had strength to draw on, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to bear that with any bravery or grace.

When she stepped off the shuttle and breathed in the "real air," as she thought of it, the day was already humid and clammy, with temperatures that kept climbing as she made her way over to meet the rest of her team. The promised electrical storms moved through the area all day, making distant threats but never quite reaching the Alliance base. Leia spent the morning with three other members of the Provisional Council and two techs finding a site, erecting a shelter, and deciding on what sort of testing they wanted to put it through. She also managed to convince her colleagues that it made sense to appoint a minister of sentient rights to be in charge of these things in the future. It would take a while to find someone and transition him or her in, but it would be well worth it to begin dividing responsibilities more rationally.

After several hours in the sunniest, hottest clearing to be found on the planet that day, Leia was more than ready to enjoy what little civilization there was on offer at the central base and see if she'd received any comm' messages. She headed to the command building (if a prefab hut that had been in service since Dantooine could be considered such) to say hello to the commander there, and with the vague hope that there might be some news from Han. Perhaps he would be able to come down this evening as they'd discussed, but she knew chances were slim. She felt a buzz of excitement when the lieutenant on duty waved her over. "Your Highness, I have a text communication from your--from General Solo."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm surprised that he sent text."

"He did comm' in earlier, but when you weren't available he sent this."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Leia tried not to rush outside (having forgotten to ask if the base commander was there), but as soon as the door shut behind her she slipped into a shady corner of the courtyard and read the message. No orders-leashed on H1-comm' tonight? The message had come in just about midday base (and ship) time. Leia sighed. If only she'd gotten back 30 minutes earlier...Well, she wouldn't be seeing him for a few days, but hopefully this meant that he wasn't shipping out immediately either. Time to move on with her day and get something to eat.

After a quick lunch Leia set off on the short hike to her living quarters: another temporary structure, a little hut tucked under the trees. There was a tiny covered porch at the door where you could scrape mud from your boots or shake the rain from your coat before entering. Inside there was a suitably comfortable bed, a small wardrobe, a side table, and a tiny desk that was currently being used to store record chips and flimsis.

Leia took a blessedly cool shower, then changed into a thin sleeveless blouse and simple skirt. She sat down on the bed to continue her research into governmental structures, but soon enough she lay down to stare idly at the ceiling. A memory from that morning swam up to the surface of her thoughts.

_She stood watching as several council members stood over the long-suffering techs and told them how to do their job. Beside her was Rhaltor, the Chandrillan aide to Mon Mothma, who had come to lend his support. Leia and Rhaltor had been friendly since they'd met in the Imperial senate, and as they watched the techs struggle with the unwieldy shelter, Leia took pleasure in catching up with an old friend. "Have you been running yourself ragged as usual, Leia? You always seem to carry the heaviest burden of anyone."_

_"Perhaps, but since the victory, everything seems a bit easier. Doesn't it feel as if we get to re-make the world?" Leia shared a smile with Rhaltor, feeling the glimmer of good things to come that she'd been experiencing more and more recently._

_"On the good days, yes. My gods, Leia, I haven't seen that smile on your face in a long time. It's a rare gift."_

_"Maybe not so rare these days." She felt herself blush and quickly moved the discussion along. "How's your governmental research going?"_

_"I've actually been reading up on someone who might be of interest to you: Queen Orbinda III of Chandrilla." In the clearing, two of the councilors were remonstrating with the techs, apparently asking about why it seemed so difficult to erect these shelters. Would this be a problem in the field, Leia wondered?_

_"Oh, yes, Queen Orbinda! She was an amazing woman. One of my aunts was obsessed with her and held held her up to me as the perfect female leader. I must admit I chafed a bit under that pressure." Queen Orbinda had actually been shoved in Leia's face more than once during her growing-up years-at least that was how it felt to a 15 year old._

_"I can imagine! But just think-at a time when women in her culture were chattel, she ruled her planet. And the sacrifices she made! To give up marriage and family in order to serve her people must have been terribly difficult."_

_"I've always felt there was a lot more to her decision than simple sacrifice. She was in a bind: if she married a man from one allied system, the others would feel threatened. And any husband from her own world would be seen as a puppet master. There wasn't anyone that she could marry. That said, there's no evidence that she ever wished to. She had all the power she could possibly wield, so why would she threaten that with marriage? and interestingly enough, from what I understand, she was less the virgin queen than we might think."_

_"Truly? But-how could she-"_

_"She was queen: she had the resources at her disposal to conduct affairs very discreetly. Even today nothing is known beyond a shadow of a doubt. But there was an 'old friend' with whom she was very close for his entire life. After her death, his last letter to her was discovered among her most private possessions." In the most romantic corner of her heart, that was the part that Leia always found saddest: that until the end of her life, the old queen had kept that letter close to her. "I don't envy Orbinda the life she led, or the choices she had to make. I'm grateful for my own sake that this is a time and place in which marriage isn't a financial transaction and princesses aren't trading pieces. I don't think I would have gotten on very well in Orbinda's world."_

_"Possibly not. But what you said isn't true. Princesses' marriages still do influence the larger culture. Can you really say that your father would have been happy with a former pirate for you?"_

_With a flash of proud anger, Leia snapped, "careful, 'Tor, you're talking about my-." For an awful moment Leia hesitated. She couldn't say the word that was on her lips, and she couldn't think of another. Rhaltor was gracious enough to apologise and change the subject, but she was left feeling jarred by her moment of speechlessness._

The memory dropped her there, mad and frustrated and feeling helpless to defend Han against the attacks that were coming in greater numbers since their relationship had gone public. At the time of the Hoth evacuation, Han had earned his own place in the Alliance, and was respected and trusted almost universally. But things had been different since his rescue. The combination of his miraculous survival of the carbonite, his hasty field promotion, and a rather hot and heavy romance between him and the local princess, caused a degree of distrust and even hostility that Leia hadn't expected. In some ways she felt responsible. Their relationship was the lightning rod for all the criticism he'd come in for. It was as if people thought he was good enough to serve the Alliance, good enough even to be a general, but not good enough to be with her, the "heart of the Rebellion." Could that be? The idea went against every ideal the Alliance stood for. How utterly discouraging to think that there were members of the Alliance who still held to such silly old notions of breeding and class. If Han was good enough to serve and lead, if he'd proven himself a man of honor, then of course he was good enough for her. The very thought of "good enough" was odious. I need to find a way to send that message. These old prejudices can't be allowed to stand. Turning the problem over in her mind, Leia grew drowsy.

When was the last time she'd actually taken a nap? Lying in bed in the middle of the afternoon reminded her of being a child, made to take a nap in anticipation of a late night at some state event. She did feel drowsy, but not for the reason she would have as a girl. She chuckled at that, feeling a pang of affection for her fusty aunts, who she missed more than she'd ever have imagined. They might not have approved of her "living in disgrace" like this, but they still would have made sure she was well-rested. "Did that man keep you up again last night? Humph! Better get some rest, then, young lady." Feeling for once cool and dry on this wet planet, hearing a storm pass by several miles away, and comforted by memories of childhood, Leia was soon asleep.

She awoke hours later to a strange electricity in the air. Feeling a little lonely, Leia decided to walk over to the main base again to get some dinner and see who else might be around to talk to--she'd heard that Wedge and some of his men might be on base. Outside, the clouds to the east were the darkest grey she had ever seen, and the light had a green tinge: The trees were fairly glowing. She imagined she'd have a wet walk back to her quarters tonight.

In the base's main courtyard, the evening's festivities were getting started. It seemed like every time Leia was there, there was an informal party in the open-air mess pavilion. After the early dinner shift finished there were always a few people gathered there, and alcohol and music materialized as if by magic.

Just as she was about to locate the alcohol, a dozen or so beings emerged from the shared 'fresher building at the far end of the clearing. They looked freshly showered and groomed, and they made noise like a band of soldiers ready to kick back after a long day. This must be Wedge and his group of Wraiths. She searched for her friend among the crowd and quickly found him. To her great surprise, he was walking with his arm around Han's shoulder, laughing as he received a playful punch on the arm. She went over to them, torn between confusion and utter delight. "Han! What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be on the flagship."

"These guys needed a ride down here, so I offered my services."

Seeing the frown forming on her face, Wedge piped up. "And he's been acting as our field consultant. His expertise has been highly useful."

"Yes, I know just what an expert Han is in surviving the wonders of nature," she said, the sarcasm in her voice evident. In fact, as she well knew, "nature" may as well have been a four letter word to Han. He was much more comfortable with decking under his feet than dirt.

"Exactly!" Wedge backpedeled. "Han is so hopeless in the wilderness that I know if I can train him, my men will do fine."

"Hey! That's not what you told me out there," Han protested. "You said I was really showing you how it's done!"

Leia fought to adopt a stern look. "That's enough out of you. Did you run this past anyone in high command before skipping off Home One? Of course not. You know, you can't keep acting like your time belongs to you alone, Han. As a ranking officer you have other commitments now."

"Oh, no: Princess, are you going to send him back to the flagship in disgrace?" Wedge asked in mock dismay.

Leia crossed her arms and looked Han up and down appraisingly. "I could, I suppose...but really, why would I punish myself?" she replied, to a chorus of hoots and catcalls. She saw with delight that Han's face reddened slightly. There was a crackle of energy between them as he met her eyes. "I'd like a drink. Will you help me find one, general?" He offered her his arm and they left the group still cackling over her display. Most likely this would provide fodder for jokes and gossip for the next few days at least. Well, I suppose that's part of my role as a public servant, isn't it?

As they surveyed the self-serve bar, Han gave her a gentle nudge with his hip. "Hey, are you really mad?"

She nudged him back, almost making him spill the drink he was pouring. "No. You sink or swim on your own--it's not my business if you piss off Ackbar. I'm pretty happy to see you, actually. I still feel like we have some ground to make up."

He handed her a drink in a recyclable cup and tapped it with his own in a toast. "Me too. In fact, that's sort of why I found my way down here today. And it does sure look like it's going to storm."

Leia squinted up at the darkening evening sky. "It does."

"Maybe we should get inside before it pours on us. What do you think?" He brushed a hand down the back of her arm and she looked into his face, smiling down at her. Her heart jumped a little in her chest.

"We should stay a little longer, get something to eat, and then," she leaned into him a bit as his face began to fall, "I think I'd like you to take me to bed." His smile returned and he pulled her into a kiss: brief, light, but shimmering with possibilities.

**  
** _Thanks as ever to AnnaFan and FettsOnTop, the beta readers who have saved me from myself time and time again._


	4. Chapter 4

_The first section of this chapter incorporates an edited version of my story “Endor Walk.” As it was always intended to fit here in the timeline, I have added it to this chapter instead of keeping it separate._

They walked down the path leading to the residences, their steps slow and ever so slightly uneven. Every few minutes there was a rumble of thunder; if they were wise, they'd hurry up before getting rained on, but neither of them was concerned with with practicalities tonight. They'd just passed under one of the amber security lamps when Han spoke. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Why haven't you ever asked me about this?" He was gesturing to himself, but they had passed out of the lamp-light and Leia couldn't see clearly.

"About what?"

"The scar."

Leia was hit with her Han Danger Sense--this one embarrassed her a little. "What would I ask? I know what happened: Luke told me. Given, I've heard a few other versions of the story too, but I think what Luke told me is the truth."

"Which one did he tell you?"

"Speeder bike crash, just after you left the service. Is that the real one?"

"Yeah. Wow: I told Luke the real story. I really must've had a soft spot for the kid."

"So I know how you got it - what else is there?" But that's not what Han meant and she knew it. She paid this feature no mind, gave it no mention – as if it wasn't there. And that must strike him as strange, since it was such a distinctive part of his physiognomy, one that people (mostly women) frequently commented on.

"I don't know, just-" Her danger sense was telling her to keep control of the conversation before it got out of hand.

"it's not polite to ask about something like that. I didn't want to insult you."

"Like you've ever worried about insulting me?"

"I've never intentionally brought up something that would cause you real pain." Yes: that sounded good.

"I don't know, it just seems weird to me." Leia's danger sense spoke up again: _he's not giving up--go on the offensive_.

"Why, because every other girl you've been with has brought it up?"

"Uh, I don't know." _Good: you've got him rattled_.

"Really. Well let me guess. I bet every girl you've had has made some kind of comment, right?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Han, I've heard women stay things to you about it. What's more, I've heard women talk about it when you're not around."

"Really? Who? When was this? What did they say?"

"I'm not telling you who. It was during that first year after Yavin, when you were pretty hot stuff around the base."

"I stopped being hot stuff? I don't remember that part."

Leia stumbled a bit. "Don't make me roll my eyes: I need to watch where I'm walking."

"Here, take my arm."

"Like you'd be so much help. I saw what you drank tonight!"

"Come on, humor me. So give: what were these ladies saying about me?"

"Oh, just the usual." She affected a high, girly voice and hung on his arm in a cloying way.  "'He's so gorgeous! Have you noticed that scar on his chin? I wonder how he got it? Have you heard? It just makes him even hotter!'"

"Seriously?"

She straightened up and returned to the sardonic tone she'd been using, but kept her hand on his arm. "Yes, seriously. I just know women must love to touch it... what a cliche. It seems to be viewed among your admirers as some sort of fetish object." The topic was getting more and more touchy, but somehow she still felt safe having this discussion. Walking in the dark, not looking at each other, they could keep the tone light and be reassured by each other's touch.

"Don't you count yourself among my admirers?"

"No. I never wanted to be one of your admirers. And I'm not now, either."

"But to get back to the topic at hand..."

"Must we?"

"We must!" He swept her into his arms and squeezed, pressing wild but innocent kisses all over her face and neck.

Leia answered through her laughter. "Why must we? Because you want to hear me say it? You want me to tell you that I love it, too? You want me to touch it? No way. I have my pride." Again, she negated the possible sting of her words by putting her arm around his waist as they continued on.

"But if it wasn't for the admirers..."

"And the former lovers..."

"...and the former lovers, then what?"

"You are too vain!"

"And you're too proud! Haven't other guys ever told you how beautiful you are? Hasn't anyone else ever talked about your big brown eyes?"

"I suppose."

"But you still like to hear me say those things, right?"

"Yes." She could just get her answer out around her sudden grin. He stopped again under the next security lamp and turned her to face him.

"Then come on. It belongs to you now, anyway."

In an instant, her mood was utterly sober. "No. No one can own someone that way."

"Sure they can. If it's freely given." Finally she looked up, first into Han's eyes and then at the feature in question. "Go ahead." So she touched it. Really, she'd wanted to all along, just like all the other women who'd been counted among his admirers. She couldn't bear to be so average, so trite. But as she drew her thumb along his chin now, she felt her face soften and her eyelids dip just a hair. It didn't matter that others had done it before: somehow it still had power.

"I guess there's something to it." Even Han sounded a little surprised at it.

"There is. I don't know why."

Their eyes met again and Leia felt the magnetic pull towards Han that meant things were about to get serious. But they were still a good 500 yards from her cabin, and she might have just felt a raindrop, so she attempted a good faith effort at turning away and continuing along the path, but Han was having none of it. The moment she broke the spell between them by starting to pull away, he gave a brief shake of his head and pulled her to him, and then they were kissing and Leia really didn't care any more that they were on the path, or that it was about to rain.

Han walked them into the trees, and settled her against a broad trunk a few yards from the path, not completely hidden, but out of the notice of any passers-by. Leia heard another distant rumble of thunder and giggled as Han pressed against her. She leaned her head against the tree and asked, "So is this the night you make my romantic thunderstorm fantasy come true?"

"Yup."

Between kisses and nips to his earlobe, she whispered, "Funny. I don't remember that any of those fantasies involved getting drenched."

His voice was growing rough, but he pulled out a signature grin and replied, "Be flexible. I promise, I'll get you inside soon enough, but I can't wait for a taste of you." He began with her ear, then moved downward. On his knees Han was still of a height to nuzzle between her breasts with a pleased hum that almost tickled. She started to laugh but it came out as a gasp; he had found how simple it was to free her breasts from the loose blouse she'd worn that evening. The air was growing chill around them, but as quickly as he exposed her to the night air, he brought his mouth to her breast. Leia looked at his face, so intent, and stroked his cheek. The slight movement of his jaw was compelling: she stared at it as if it was something completely unknown to her. Her breathing grew uneven, and it felt like the tree trunk at her back was beginning to sway improbably. She held onto his shoulders: the only stable thing she could find all of a sudden.

She forced her eyes open for a moment and looked up. Above her head she could just see branches swaying, and a faint glow against the clouds from the landing pad not far to their west. It was so exquisite, everything around her: the trees, the air full of the promise of a storm, the dirt under her feet, and the man kneeling in front of her. She felt a strange moment of dissociation, feeling small underneath the trees, but as big as the sky, too. A few more fat raindrops fall on her face and shoulders.

Han continued to kiss, suckle, and nip, and showed no signs of stopping. Perhaps he was seeing just how far he could take her with this: she'd wondered herself if it was possible for her to actually reach orgasm from his mouth on her breasts alone. It certainly felt like it wasn't impossible at moments like this. The ley lines between her breasts and vulva were singing, and Leia's hips swayed in a promise of things to come. Eventually impatience ended the experiment, and Leia took Han's hand from her other breast and drew it between her legs. Together they pulled her skirts out of the way, and she wasn't sure whether it was his fingers or her own she felt as they mingled among her folds. But then that was definitely him rolling his thumb and forefinger around her center. He lips drew urgently on her nipple now, he moaned into her, and just as she came she thought she saw the first flash of lightning, but she couldn't be sure.

After shivering against Han's kneeling form for a long moment, Leia planted a grateful kiss on his lips, and said, "I'm afraid we're stuck here. I don't think I can walk!" Han chuckled and heaved them both up off the damp ground, bringing her up into his arms. He shifted her against his chest and starting walking toward her quarters again.

"Don't worry about your reputation, Princess. If anyone sees us, they'll just think you're drunk off your ass."

"Do you expect an argument out of me now? Impossible," she murmured in his ear. "I'm too busy getting my strength back. And I hope you've sobered up: I don't want this evening to end with you dropping me. Everything needs to be up, in fact - no dropping." She giggled in mingled embarrassment and hilarity at her sophomoric joke.

"You have absolutely no worries on that score, I guarantee."

Rain began to patter on them more insistently. "Good," she whispered, suddenly seductive. "Because I want you so deep inside me..."

_Thanks to AnnaFan for walking me through the integration of this chapter into the story. Hopefully you'll agree with her that the charms of Han's facial scar transcend the author's "personal fanfic" to include the mainstream H/L fic reader!_


	5. Chapter 5

They arrived at Leia's cabin without anyone being dropped, until Han dropped her on the bed with a ceremonial plop and a giddy laugh from her. Their clothes disappeared in a flurry of hands and kisses to bared skin. In no time at all there was nothing between them and they were skin to skin.

When he entered her at last, Leia uttered a soft "oh." This was what had been missing last night: the ignition that happened when they came together. Han rested his forehead on hers for a long moment as they shared breath. He gasped at the insistent pull on him that had already started inside. Han raised up to kneel, and drew her hips forward until she was resting on his thighs. It was so deep this way, it always made her wild. Sometimes she felt exposed lying naked before him, but the pleasure they shared like this was so great that fear and vulnerability evaporated before they even began. And the second that Han had them arranged to his liking, he started to make love to her in earnest, establishing a rhythm of shallow and deep that sent her into spiral of pleasure.

For just a moment, Leia saw herself from the outside, and wondered at herself: shaking, crying out, begging Han, telling him everything he was making her feel, telling him how good he was at pleasing her. For that moment, she felt amazement that this was really her. But she'd learned that self-reflection killed the mood like nothing else. So instead of thinking about herself, she watched Han. He was sheened with sweat, and a lock of hair was plastered to his forehead. His breathing was hard but steady, and he had a look of intense concentration. Her eyes drifted to his stomach muscles flexing each time he thrust into her. The sight made her own stomach turn over. He adjusted, moving his hands down her waist and shifting her hips higher. She began to feel the floating sensation, and, not for the first time, very frank words came spilling from her. "I love watching you fuck me." His eyes jumped to hers and his jaw tightened. With an ambiguous movement of his head which seemed to express some sort of inarticulate confirmation, he began an insistent stoke that drove her to an entirely new level of pleasure. Outside, a hard rain had begun driving at the cabin, and lightning came more and more frequently. It was romantic, she thought: she felt some connection between their bodies and the booming thunder and flashing light.

This position, him on his haunches with her spread before him, created unique sensations: they would begin sweet and pleasing, then build to a sharp intensity. The pleasure and pressure would grow until Han struggled to stay inside her. At the touch of Leia's fingers on his wrist, he'd pull back, and the pressure would be released in a long, wonderful gush. The best part, she truly thought, was Han's response: first the string of loving vulgarities when he felt her fluid warmth on his cock. Then as he slid into her again-so impossibly slick and wet-a litany of every term of endearment, every nickname he'd ever called her, even the ones that drove her crazy. "What did you call me?"

"Nothing-forget it."

"Tell me," she said in her best tone of command.

"Your Worship." In his tone, Leia heard a desire to kick himself. His rhythm slacked off a hair.

"Don't stop!...That's the last thing I thought could ever sound sexy!" Their laughter rang out for an instant, but was cut off abruptly by another turn of the cycle. It went on and on, this delicious cycle, until she was panting and crying with the need for release. She could see in his face and hear in his voice that he was near the edge too, and when he shifted his thumb to reach her clit and draw rough circles there, it was almost a relief to feel her climax coming. It began with a feeling in her belly like a huge sea creature rising to the surface, and kept growing past what she'd ever felt before. Han had pulled out almost completely and was making teasing passes at her entrance, attempting to cool his own desire, but she needed to feel him inside. She communicated this through a pleading moan and a wiggle of her hips. When he drove back in all the way to her cervix, and then again, it swept her up completely. Her climax broke the surface and she barely had the chance to cry out "I'm coming" before Han began a desperate rhythm that made her scream out her pleasure. The hardest bursts of her climax had finally abated just as she felt him tense all over and then cry her name as he spilled himself into her in several last, deep thrusts. Gods, she loved to feel him come inside her. She savored the look on his face: amazement and anguish and love all together. He shuddered and buried his face in her shoulder as they relaxed into utter languor. Leia became aware again of the cabin around them, the moon they were on. There was a steady rain pounding outside, and intermittent flashes of lightning. She wasn't even aware of falling asleep.

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When she woke hours later, Leia was neatly tucked into Han's side, surrounded by his warmth and scent. He was sprawled on his back in seeming abandon, the only part of him not completely boneless the arm that kept her so close. Without thinking, she turned her face to his skin, kissing and nuzzling every inch within reach- his chest, shoulder, the curve into his armpit, then back to his nipple, lost in the pleasures of exploring his unusually still body. She should have known she would wake him up, but it still surprised her when Han stirred and then smoothed her hair away from her face. She looked up at him ruefully. "Oh-I woke you again. I didn't mean to." She smiled apologetically at him, looking at his bleary-eyed face for the first time. His expression betrayed a certain skepticism. "Really," she continued, "I wasn't planning on disturbing you, I just…" Almost never at a loss for words, Leia hoped her attempt at one of Han's eloquent shrugs would communicate her mix of embarrassment and remorselessness.

"S'okay." Han dropped his head back on the pillow, but didn't stop stroking her hair.

"Han, What about you? What do you think is romantic?"

"Mmm, I don't know if I think in those terms."

"Well, what are your fantasies? You must have some of those, right?" She encouraged him with another delicate, moist kiss to his chest. He shifted again, really waking up now, and looked back down at her with one of his lazy smiles.

"Fantasies? What kind?"

"I don't know. Anything. What excites you?"

"Well, there is one thing that gets me…" Han casually put his arms behind his head and gave her a slow wink. "Let's say there's this girl," he began. "This absolute spitfire of a girl. She's gorgeous, and she's not afraid of anything." Now this is getting interesting, Leia thought as she blushed scarlet. She rested her chin on Han's chest in rapt attention. Her hand wandered to his stomach to trace the hair leading from chest to groin. Han's voice was steady, but his muscles jumped under her palm.

"She could have any guy she wanted, but she wants me. She doesn't just want me: she can't get enough of me. She trembles when I kiss her, and you wouldn't believe how she kisses me-like there's nothing else in the universe." Her hand strayed lower. My stars, had that been there this whole time? His cock was rock-hard, and she felt a pearl of moisture at the tip. Her breaths instantly became shallow and fast. Interesting? this was getting downright exciting.

"And in bed, the way she looks, the sounds she makes, I feel like I could die right there and I'd be happy. This amazing girl, and I'm the guy she wants, I'm the guy she's crazy about." She nodded and gave him a little smile over a gulp. Her mouth was dry. This was what he dreamed about?

Now the smallest grin made Han's eyes gleam with playful intent. "She wants me so much, she wakes me up in the middle of the night just to ride me." Just like that, the room was 20 degrees hotter. How did he do it? How could he simply say these things and make her stomach do flips?

She took a moment to stretch languorously against Han's side, then gamely threw a leg over and sat astride him. With little delay she bent over his chest, eased him into herself, and then sat up. She was a little tender from earlier, and the deepest penetration didn't feel as good as it should, so Leia just rocked and tilted her hips a bit until she felt the sweet friction that made her smile and bite her lower lip. Hearing a strangled groan from Han, she looked down to see his own eyes shutting tight, his hands clenched by his sides, and his jaw muscles tensed. "Han-look at me," she said in a gentle voice.

His lips opened to speak, but his teeth remained clenched tight. "Can't: It's too much. I'll let go too soon." At that moment she was glad his eyes were shut, so that he didn't see her incredulous and triumphant grin. She leaned back down over his chest, so that her nipples just grazed him. He took in breath with a hiss.

"Are you telling me that seeing me up here is really that exciting?" Leia was afraid she hadn't kept all the giddiness out of her voice, because when Han cracked his eyes open he looked the tiniest bit perturbed.

"That's what I'm saying--what I've been saying." Feeling some remorse, Leia gave him a kiss that quickly turned more passionate than she'd intended. "Shit-like that. Do you do that on purpose?"

"What: that?"

"Yes," he barely ground out.

"That was involuntary. But right...now, it's on purpose."

"Leia--the way you feel, the way you look. You're the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen." The strain in his voice just then was the most satisfying thing she'd ever heard, Leia thought. She kissed him once more, then sat back up.

"Then look at me. I'll take my chances with you." And he did. Leia started to rock again, loving the freedom to move just as she pleased. She took Han's hand in hers and kissed it, watching his eyes grow wide. He really didn't look like he'd last long at this rate. Then she had an idea. She drew his fingers together and whispered "make a fist." She took Han's hand and placed it palm down where their bodies met, nestling it in between her folds. "Don't move it." Then she experimented, pressing against his knuckles as she went to and fro. Oh, this was going to be good.

A few moments' movement made Han's knuckles slick, and the feeling they created was sublime. She loved everything his hands could do to her, and this was no exception. Knowing that this hand that she'd seen pilot the Falcon, make repairs, adjust his belt, fix caf, or punch a guy in the jaw, was the same hand buried against her flesh felt incredibly sexy.

She almost laughed at her next thought-that she must be a sexual genius. How had she never heard of this? If she had the guts, she'd tell everyone she knew about the glory of a male fist between the legs. As Leia's mind wandered, she'd been moving this way and that, seeing what felt best, where the sweet spot lay between Han's cock and his hand-then he applied more pressure and tilted his fist, and there it was. All idle thoughts fled, and she threw her head back with a pleased moan. Now she was in the perfect spot to feel him inside and grind against him at the same time. She started to get that feeling like running down a hill too fast, along with a rippling, exquisite pleasure. It was quickly so intense that she bent over Han and rested her forehead on his chest. "I missed you so much."

Han obligingly kept his right hand still, but brought his left around to hold her to him. She thought she heard him say he loved her, and she smiled against him, keeping up a rhythm that made them both pant. When the rippling inside her reached the point of no return, Leia called out his name, and he somehow knew, or maybe only hoped, that this was his signal to let go. He brought up his knees and drove into her until she wailed into his chest, until she thought she'd tumble down from her perch. But he held her in an iron grip until they'd both spent themselves utterly: then they both collapsed, still shaking from head to foot. Leia scooted up until their faces were level and looked into Han's eyes.

Sometimes Leia wondered when their sexual honeymoon would end, but tonight she looked at Han and felt a new level of understanding, of intimacy with him. Tonight she sensed a universe of knowledge and pleasure still to be shared. There were a million more things they had to learn about each other, and a million more ways to learn them.

This was the truth that she'd been seeking and missing these past few days: that as different as they may be, as far as they might wander from each other, at their core they were one. This was why she so seldom felt insecurity about their relationship: because when they were together, really together, there was no doubt, only things they hadn't learned yet. She opened her mouth to say something along these lines, but nothing came out. All the words had been said, and a new wave of bone-deep weariness overcame her. Instead she just kissed his lips and cheek and returned to the shelter of his side.

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Han shifted to his side and nuzzled Leia's shoulder. "How long 'till it's light, do you think?" he asked softly.

"Um-mm," was her only response. She used the last of her energy to pull the covers back over them, then snuggled herself down with her back against him and his arm held close.

"Well, do you have to be up early?" he said around a yawn.

"Hm-mm." One shrug was all she had left before falling utterly and completely asleep.

Han smiled with complete satisfaction, hoped that Leia had taken care of setting an alarm for herself earlier, then followed her into slumber.

 

**Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the story. There is more in store for this series, so stay tuned! All gratitude goes to the women who tirelessly beta read this story for me: AnnaFan, FettsOnTop, and Push.**


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